BE THE CHANGE!
“Your own transformation and healing is the most convincing element” from answers from the heart by Thich Nat Hahn
More and more people are looking for change, are reaching out in one way or the other they come to yoga, they come to spiritualism, they come to veganism, they come to exploring something new. They have all found the key to the magic door, they all have come to this place from the same thought: “there must be something else out there.” “I can no longer take this anymore. “ Sounds familiar? WELCOME to VEGAN LAND. For me, it was loud and clear from a young age. The feisty Indian tiger on my right thigh, the smiling whale-defender whale on my left thigh, the flying bird escaping the cage which reads “BORN TO BE FREE” on my chest, VIVE A DEIXA VIVER (live and let live) on my heart, my tattoos speak for themselves. Everything I do is always FOR THE ANIMALS. I am completely, utterly devoted to the HAPINESS & FREEDOM for all beings. How does one do this? Two simple words: GO VEGAN! Another very important word: COMPASSION.
COMPASSION means to feel with. COM-with PASSION-to feel. Being compassionate means, what another being is experiencing we feel simultaneously. Especially when we seek for oneness of being. We ultimately all do, we all want this oneness, because separateness is the cause of all suffering in this world. We all want to be devoted, loving, compassionate beings, bringing together that which appears to be separate. This to me is veganism.
WHAT IS VEGANISM? I believe there are three kinds of vegans. Ethical vegans, environmental vegans and health vegans, all three “types” are strongly devoted to a plant-based diet, without any dairy or meat products. I am an ethical vegan, it’s very simple, I have loved animals for as long as I can remember, they are my friends, I don’t eat my friends, I don’t use or abuse my friends, I don’t capture or torture my friends nor would I ever milk them. So there is the ethical side, but I also strongly support people who come to veganism pure from an environmental perspective, let me give you a few facts.
In the US fifty percent of the water pollution is caused by the meat and dairy industry, besides the military the meat and dairy industry are also the biggest oil users, so you might think oh well, those wars in the Middle East, I have nothing to do with that, well think again next time you eat a piece of steak, or drink a glass of milk, because you do have something to do with it, there is a direct correlation there, that’s a fact. And then there is the extreme health benefit, I have had the pleasure of meeting a lot of people who turned their worlds around by changing their diets to a vegan diet, many of these people were very ill, overweight or heavily depressed. Veganism turned them into brand new beings, shining this bright light; they started living more balanced lives in total harmony with themselves and others. I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to be part of that process, to see a little glimpse of the magic. I have seen incredible change happen hands on especially with the vegan workshops I hold on a national and international level (I am currently based in Lisbon, Portugal, bringing vegan to the people)
“Not everyone can stand on their heads everyday, but everybody eats. You can practice and vote for a more peaceful, prosperous and happy world three times a day when you sit down to eat.”
(Sharon Gannon, Co- Founder Jivamukti Yoga and author of YOGA &VEGETARIANISM)
The wonderful Barbara Decker interviewed me for Yoga Journal Germany last year and she asked a very good, valuable question I would like to share with you.
What are the pro and cons of the vegan diet?
There are no cons. There are different motivations for vegan diets: an ethical opinion, ecologic, environmental factors or health reasons. Some people adopt a vegan diet only for health reasons, that doesn’t make him or her a vegan; it just means they are on a “plant-based diet”. Because BEING VEGAN means a complete change of lifestyle, including clothing and cosmetics. Being vegan really is a complete life change, considering a lot of factors. For example, I personally struggled finding a good natural deodorant, it needs to be natural, it needs to not be animal tested, it needs to not have any animal products in it, I eventually found one, some things just take a little time and investigation. But hey, I always come back to the essence of all this: ANYTHING FOR THE ANIMALS. I also decided a few years back that my dear Jack Russell: Sparky (see picture) should also adopt a vegan diet and he did, happily. www.veganpet.com.au in Australia and http://www.amipetfood.com in Europe.
NO MEAT ATHLETE!
If a person thinks that a vegan diet comes with cons they simply haven’t sourced or found enough information about it. Even bodybuilders, boxers, athletes, etc. are living and high- performing on completely vegetable based diets. I have a close relationship with Chris Rowe who runs Sydney Vegan Strength, we held an event together last year in Sydney: SPIRITUAL BOOTCAMP which focused on just that, a weekend of practices and a menu of plant based nutrition for people who exercise on high level. So many people are unaware of the fact that all essential vitamins and elements are part of a well- balanced vegan diet. I think the most important thing is to be well informed. A good cookbook can help. It’s the one and only reason why I wrote one, to serve, encourage and inspire others, to give them the right information and DIY recipes, sweet and simple. If you are considering a vegan diet the best thing to do is to get in touch with people who are already vegan. To become part of the vegan community is the easiest way to achieve that goal. Anyone can do this, anyone can come to this and really to me, everyone should.
There are many vegan athletes out there who are truly inspiring and incredible these two are my personal favorites:
http://www.thefrankmedrano.com
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tim-Livewire-Shieff-Official/232485863467949?sk=info&tab=page_info
DON’T EAT UP YOUR CHILDREN’S FUTURE.
A dear vegan friend told me that l really gave her a push about the vegan story. She told me that being a mother it just became more and more clear to her that in this crazy world living vegan is one of the direct contributes she could have to the future of her kids, or to put it even stronger she is obliged to, because choosing to give birth to future adults while eating up their future really doesn’t make any sense, I could not agree more. I personally feel that this is our duty of care, I guess even stronger when you are a mother and have children of your own, but in general, as a citizen of this planet, we need to think of our future generations, we need to leave them a world in which they can still experience the beauty of nature, of wildlife, how horrible would it be if our children of the future wake up one day and ask themselves the question, I wonder what an animal looked like in real life?
BE A HAPPY, JOYFUL VEGAN!
Living by example, being a happy vegan is by far the most important factor in bringing vegan to the people. I have seen this change in myself, I see so much more result in my (vegan) actions ever since I started this new approach of just total compassion, love and joy. To have fun with it all, my workshops, talks, classes are all like that, the vegan joy is always there. One of my most important vegan kitchen rules is doing a vegan boogie while you cook, to embrace the joy of living a cruelty-free life. So that would be my advice to everyone: BE A HAPPY VEGAN! Be overly and utterly AWARE of what it is you are doing, bringing about, creating and well, eating. Know that it is all within you, you don’t have to seek for it anywhere else, love and compassion, it’s all in us, we just experience disconnect and re-connect in our life-times on this planet. Connecting to the Earth is a good starting point to re-connect, through yoga, meditation, a vegan diet, healthy living, reading, we get to learn the teachings of life and how to embrace them.
Being a happy vegan for me personally means encouraging & inspiring others by attracting people to the way i live my vegan life. I love that I am alive, I love that I am vegan and I love that I have been enabled to live a life of truth, of doing what needs to be done, of saying what needs to be said, a life of serving others, of creating space for people to change, to evolve, to re-connect, review, reflect. I am wholeheartedly dedicated to all animal beings. I am fully devoted to a cruelty free life-style and the betterment of the world. You should too, because one thing I know is to never underestimate the power of the individual, BE THE CHANGE, because you CAN.
Never underestimate the power of the individual.
“There has never been any positive social change initiated by governments and institutions. All progressive changes have come about because of the actions of individuals or small groups of individuals. Never believe that an individual does not have the power to change the world” Margaret Mead